Enter text at a point

Point
type is a horizontal or vertical line of text that begins where
you click and expands as you enter characters. Each line of text
is independent—the line expands or shrinks as you edit it, but doesn’t
wrap to the next line. Entering text this way is useful for adding
a few words to your artwork.

Select
the Type tool or
the Vertical Type tool .

The
pointer changes to an I-beam within a dotted box. The small horizontal line
near the bottom of the I-beam marks the position of the baseline,
on which the text rests.

(Optional) Set text-formatting options in the Control panel,
Character panel, or Paragraph panel.

Click where you want the line of text to begin.

Note:

Be sure not to click an existing object,
because doing so converts the type object into area type or type
on a path. If an existing object is located where you want to enter
text, lock or hide the object.

Enter the text. Press Enter or Return to begin a
new line of text within the same type object.

Note:

Beginning with the CC 2017 release, Illustrator enters placeholder text by default when you use the Type tool or the Vertical Type tool. For more details, see Fill type objects with placeholder text.

When you finish entering text, click the Selection tool to
select the type object. Alternatively, Ctrl‑click (Windows) or Command-click
(Mac OS) the text.

Note:

For more information about working with type in Illustrator, see this video.

Enter text in an area

Area
type (also called paragraph type) uses the boundaries
of an object to control the flow of characters, either horizontally
or vertically. When the text reaches a boundary, it automatically
wraps to fit inside the defined area. Entering text this way is
useful when you want to create one or more paragraphs, such as for
a brochure.

Define
the bounding area:

Select the Type tool or the Vertical Type tool , and drag diagonally to define a rectangular bounding area.

Draw the object you want to use as the bounding area. (It doesn’t matter if the object has stroke or fill attributes, because Illustrator automatically removes them.) Then select the Type tool , the Vertical Type tool , the Area Type tool , or the Vertical Area Type tool and click anywhere on the object’s path.

Creating a type area by dragging (top) compared to converting an existing shape to a type area (bottom)

Note:

If the object is an open path, you must use the Area Type tool to define the bounding area. Illustrator draws an imaginary line between the endpoints of the path to define the boundaries.

(Optional) Set text-formatting options in the Control
panel, Character panel, or Paragraph panel.

Enter the text. Press Enter or Return to begin a new
paragraph.

When you finish entering text, click the Selection tool to
select the type object. Alternatively, Ctrl‑click (Windows) or Command-click
(Mac OS) the text.

If you enter more text than can fit within
an area, a small box containing a plus symbol (+) appears near the
bottom of the bounding area.

Example of overflow text

You can resize the text area or extend the path to display the overflow text. You can also thread the text into another object.

Note:

For more information about working with type in Illustrator, see this video.

Import text into a path/shape

Introduced in Illustrator CC 2017 release

Place text from a supported file right inside an object, such as a shape. You can place text from files in the .txt or .rtf formats, or files from word-processing applications. For example, you can place text from a .rtf file into a polygonal shape.

Create a path/shape using any drawing tool, such as the Rectangle tool, Shaper tool, or the Pen tool. You'll place the text file within this shape.

Choose File > Place and select the text file you want to place.

Click Place.

After the text file is loaded in the place gun, click the path of the shape.

The text is placed inside the shape. You can now apply the desired styles and effects to it.

Place the text from a text file into a polygonal path/shape

Fill type objects with placeholder text

Introduced in Illustrator CC 2017 release

Filling type objects with placeholder text helps you visualize the design better. By default, Illustrator automatically fills new objects created using type tools with placeholder text. The placeholder text retains the font and size applied to the previous type object.

Samples of type objects with placeholder text using Type tools

A. Type Tool B. Type On A Path Tool C. Vertical Area Type Tool

Fill only selected type objects with placeholder text

You can disable the default Illustrator behavior of filling all new type objects with placeholder text. Deselect Preferences > Type > Fill New Type Objects With Placeholder Text.

Disable the default behavior of filling all new type objects with placeholder text

After you disable the default behavior, you can still fill type objects with placeholder text on a case-by-case basis. Follow these steps:

Use a Point or Area Type tool to create a type object. Alternatively, select an existing type object on the artboard.

Do one of the following:

Choose Type > Fill With Placeholder Text.

Right-click the text frame to open the in-context menu. Select Fill With Placeholder Text.

Illustrator fills the type object with placeholder text.

Manage the text area

Resize a text area

You can resize text in different ways, depending
on the whether you are creating point type, area type, or text along
a path.

There is no limit for the amount of text that can
be written using point type, so resizing of the text box is not
required in this case.

When using the area type tool, you
drag an object and type inside the selected area. In this case,
the text resizes when you resize the object using the Direct Selection
tool.

When you type text along a path, you can thread text
between objects (see Threading
text between objects), if the text does not fit in the selected
path. In this case also, the text is resized if you resize the path
using the Direct Selection tool.

Note:

Make sure
that the bounding box setting is set to Show Bounding Box. If you
are not able to see the bounding box, then click View > Show
Bounding Box.

To
resize, do one of the following:

Select the type object using the Selection tool or Layers panel, and drag a handle on the bounding box.

Resizing a text area with the Selection tool

Select the edge or corner of the type path with the Direct Selection tool . Then drag to adjust the shape of the path.

Tip: Adjusting the type path using the Direct Selection tool is easiest when you’re in Outline view.

Resizing a type area with the Direct Selection tool

Select the type object using the Selection tool or Layers panel, and choose Type > Area Type Options. Enter values for Width and Height, and click OK. If the text area is not a rectangle, these values determine the dimensions of the object’s bounding box.

Change the margin around a text
area

When working with an area type
object, you can control the margin between the text and the bounding
path. This margin is referred to as the inset spacing.

Raise or lower the first baseline
in a text area

When
working with an area type object, you can control the alignment
of the first line of text with the top of the object. This alignment
is referred to as the first baseline offset. For example,
you can make text stick up above the top of the object or fall a
specific distance below the top of the object.

Type with First Baseline set to Cap Height (left) compared
to type with First Baseline set to Leading (right)

Select an area type object.

Choose Type > Area Type Options.

For First Baseline, choose one of the following options:

Ascent

The height of the “d” character falls below the top of
the type object.

Cap Height

The tops of uppercase letters touch the top of the type
object.

Leading

Uses the text’s leading value as the distance between
the baseline of the first line of text and the top of the type object.

x Height

The height of the “x” character falls below the top of
the type object.

Em Box Height

The top of the em box in Asian fonts touches the top
of the type object. This option is available regardless of the Show
Asian Options preference.

Fixed

Specifies the distance between the baseline of the first
line of text and the top of the type object in the Min box.

Legacy

Uses the first baseline default used in Adobe Illustrator
10 or earlier.

For Min, specify the value for the baseline offset.

Create rows and columns of text

Select an area type object.

Choose Type > Area Type Options.

In the Rows and Columns sections of the dialog box, set
the following options:

Number

Specifies the number of rows and columns you want the
object to contain.

Span

Specifies the height of individual rows and the width
of individual columns.

Fixed

Determines what happens to the span of rows and columns if you resize the type area. When this option is selected, resizing the area can change the number of rows and columns, but not their width. Leave this option deselected if you want row and column widths to change when you resize the type area.

Options for resizing rows and columns

Gutter

Specifies the distance between rows or columns.

In the Options section of the dialog box, select a Text
Flow option to determine how text flows between rows and columns:
By Rows or
By Columns .

Click OK.

Fit a headline across the full
width of a type area

Select a type tool, and click in the paragraph
you want to fit across the type area.

Choose
Type > Fit Headline.

Note:

If you change the formatting of the type, be sure to
reapply the Fit Headline command.

Threading text between objects

To thread (or continue) text from one object to the next, you link the objects. Linked type objects can be of any shape; however, the text must be entered in an area or along a path (not at a point).

Each area type object contains an in port and an out port, which enables you to link to other objects and create a linked copy of the type object. An empty port indicates that all the text is visible and that the object isn’t linked. An arrow in a port indicates that the object is linked to another object. A red plus sign in an out port indicates that the object contains additional text. This remaining unseen text is called overflow text.

Ports on linked type objects

You can break
threads and have the text flow into either the first or the next object,
or you can remove all threads and have the text stay in place.

Note:

When
working with threaded text, it can be useful to see the threads.
To view threads, choose View > Show Text Threads and
then select a linked object.

Thread text

Use the Selection tool to select an area
type object.

Click the in port or the out port of the selected type
object. The pointer changes to the loaded text icon .

Do one of the following:

To link to an existing object, position
the pointer on the object’s path. The pointer changes to a . Click
the path to link the objects.

To link to a new object, click or drag on an empty
part of the artboard. Clicking creates an object of the same size
and shape as the original; dragging lets you create a rectangular
object of any size.

Another method for threading text between
objects is to select an area type object, select the object (or
objects) you want to thread to, and then choose Type >
Threaded Text > Create.

Remove or break threads

Select a linked type object.

Do any of the following:

To break the thread between two objects,
double-click the port on either end of the thread. The text flows
into the first object.

To release an object from a text thread,
choose Type > Threaded Text > Release Selection.
The text flows into the next object.

Wrap text around an object

You can wrap
area text around any object, including type objects, imported images,
and objects you draw in Illustrator. If the wrap object is
an embedded bitmap image, Illustrator wraps the text around opaque
or partially opaque pixels and ignores fully transparent pixels.

Wrapping
is determined by the stacking order of objects, which you can view
in the Layers panel by clicking the triangle next to the layer name.
To wrap text around an object, the wrap object must be in the same
layer as the text and located directly above the text in the layer
hierarchy. You can drag contents up or down in the Layers panel
to change hierarchy.

Text wrapped around objects

A. Wrap objects B. Wrapped
text

Wrap text

Make sure that the following conditions
are true for the type you want to wrap:

It is area type (typed in a box).

It is in the same layer as the wrap object.

It is located directly under the wrap object in
the layer’s hierarchy.

Note:

If the layer contains multiple type
objects, move any that you don’t want to wrap around the wrap object
either into another layer or above the wrap object.

Set the Align panel to use preview bounds by selecting the
Use Preview Bounds option from the Align panel menu (flyout).

After applying these settings, you get the same alignment as outlined text, while keeping the text live.

Delete empty type objects from
your artwork

Deleting
unused type objects makes your artwork easier to print and reduces
the file size. You can create empty type objects, for example, if
you inadvertently click the Type tool in the artwork area and then
choose another tool.